Treatment for Sciatica - Surgery or No Surgery? What You Need to Know Before You Proceed
Before you consider undergoing surgery for sciatic back pain you might want to take a few things into consideration.
The good thing about sciatic nerve pain is that you can use natural methods to both relieve and eliminate the pain all together.
But first lets describe what sciatica is and what causes sciatic nerve pain.
What is Sciatica? Sciatica is a sharp pain along the sciatic nerve usually caused by a herniated disk of the lumber region of the spine and radiating to the buttocks down the back of the leg.
The combination of pressure and inflammation on the nerve root can sometimes create a tingling or numbness in the foot area thus making it difficult to stand up or walk.
Pain is usually increased by coughing, sneezing, or bending the neck forward.
What causes Sciatic Pain? Sciatica is not a medical diagnosis, but rather a symptom of an underlying problem in the lower back.
Sciatica usually occurs in people between 30 and 50 years of age.
The general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine is what causes most back and sciatic pain problems.
The 6 most common problems that can cause sciatica include: 1.
Lumbar Herniated Disc - This condition occurs when the soft inner core of the disc leaks out.
2.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis - This condition occurs from a narrowing of the spinal canal.
3.
Degenerative Disc Disease - This condition is caused when a weakened disc goes into excessive micromotion at the corresponding spine level.
and inflammatory proteins from inside the disc become exposed and irritate the area (including the nerve roots).
4.
Isthmic Spondylolisthesis - This condition occurs when a small stress fracture allows one vertebral body to slip forward on another verbral body.
5.
Piriformis Syndrome - This happens when the sciatic nerve runs under the piroformis muscle in the rear.
6.
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction - This is caused by the irritation of L5 nerve which lies on top of the sacroiliac joint.
Other similar causes of sciatica include: pregnancy, scar tissue, muscle strain, spinal tumor, and infection What daily activities can affect my sciatica? Sitting too long - If you sit too long, the toxins in the disc will build up, and there will be lack of new oxygen and nutrition for healing to occur.
Standing too long - This has the same negative affect as sitting.
If you have to stand be sure to walk around for 5 minutes for every 30 minutes you will be standing...
This will keep your disc pumping.
Lifting - If you have to lift make sure you are wearing a lumbar support belt and also make sure you are not flexing and rotating at the same time.
What are Some Non-Surgical Sciatica Treatment Options? There are several ways you can relieve or even eliminate pain caused by sciatica and some of these options are: 1.
Drug Treatment - Your doctor can prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen, which can reduce the swelling to relieve your pain.
Muscle relaxants can also relieve your pain by decreasing muscle spasms.
2.
Epidural Steroid Injection - Direct steroid injections can reduce inflammatory reaction but it doesn't work for all patients.
3.
Surgery - Most patients don't need surgery in the case of sciatica, only when a patient suffers from terrible physical weakness, bowel or bladder incontinence, or pain cannot be relieved in other ways.
4.
Physical Therapy - Body mechanics, stretching, strengthening, and conditioning exercises can promote blood circulation, thus relieving the pain of sciatic nerve.
5.
Chiropractic Care - Many times a re-alignment of the spine can help restore the natural nerve function throughout the body.
6.
Other Alternative Treatments - There are other treatments in which we will discuss in detail that you can use to get relief IMMEDIATELY from sciatic nerve pain.
The vast majority of people who experience sciatica get better with time (usually a few weeks or months) and find pain relief with non-surgical treatment.
We will give you step by step techniques and remedies you can use at home to provide relief as well as give you some book recommendations you can read to further eliminate your condition and speed up the healing process.
The good thing about sciatic nerve pain is that you can use natural methods to both relieve and eliminate the pain all together.
But first lets describe what sciatica is and what causes sciatic nerve pain.
What is Sciatica? Sciatica is a sharp pain along the sciatic nerve usually caused by a herniated disk of the lumber region of the spine and radiating to the buttocks down the back of the leg.
The combination of pressure and inflammation on the nerve root can sometimes create a tingling or numbness in the foot area thus making it difficult to stand up or walk.
Pain is usually increased by coughing, sneezing, or bending the neck forward.
What causes Sciatic Pain? Sciatica is not a medical diagnosis, but rather a symptom of an underlying problem in the lower back.
Sciatica usually occurs in people between 30 and 50 years of age.
The general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine is what causes most back and sciatic pain problems.
The 6 most common problems that can cause sciatica include: 1.
Lumbar Herniated Disc - This condition occurs when the soft inner core of the disc leaks out.
2.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis - This condition occurs from a narrowing of the spinal canal.
3.
Degenerative Disc Disease - This condition is caused when a weakened disc goes into excessive micromotion at the corresponding spine level.
and inflammatory proteins from inside the disc become exposed and irritate the area (including the nerve roots).
4.
Isthmic Spondylolisthesis - This condition occurs when a small stress fracture allows one vertebral body to slip forward on another verbral body.
5.
Piriformis Syndrome - This happens when the sciatic nerve runs under the piroformis muscle in the rear.
6.
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction - This is caused by the irritation of L5 nerve which lies on top of the sacroiliac joint.
Other similar causes of sciatica include: pregnancy, scar tissue, muscle strain, spinal tumor, and infection What daily activities can affect my sciatica? Sitting too long - If you sit too long, the toxins in the disc will build up, and there will be lack of new oxygen and nutrition for healing to occur.
Standing too long - This has the same negative affect as sitting.
If you have to stand be sure to walk around for 5 minutes for every 30 minutes you will be standing...
This will keep your disc pumping.
Lifting - If you have to lift make sure you are wearing a lumbar support belt and also make sure you are not flexing and rotating at the same time.
What are Some Non-Surgical Sciatica Treatment Options? There are several ways you can relieve or even eliminate pain caused by sciatica and some of these options are: 1.
Drug Treatment - Your doctor can prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen, which can reduce the swelling to relieve your pain.
Muscle relaxants can also relieve your pain by decreasing muscle spasms.
2.
Epidural Steroid Injection - Direct steroid injections can reduce inflammatory reaction but it doesn't work for all patients.
3.
Surgery - Most patients don't need surgery in the case of sciatica, only when a patient suffers from terrible physical weakness, bowel or bladder incontinence, or pain cannot be relieved in other ways.
4.
Physical Therapy - Body mechanics, stretching, strengthening, and conditioning exercises can promote blood circulation, thus relieving the pain of sciatic nerve.
5.
Chiropractic Care - Many times a re-alignment of the spine can help restore the natural nerve function throughout the body.
6.
Other Alternative Treatments - There are other treatments in which we will discuss in detail that you can use to get relief IMMEDIATELY from sciatic nerve pain.
The vast majority of people who experience sciatica get better with time (usually a few weeks or months) and find pain relief with non-surgical treatment.
We will give you step by step techniques and remedies you can use at home to provide relief as well as give you some book recommendations you can read to further eliminate your condition and speed up the healing process.